Invisible Ties
by CreationsGoneAwry
Summary: A set of drabbles mostly dealing with friendship and romance between the characters. Mainly focused on FE7 (Blazing Sword), 8 (Sacred Stones), and 13 (Awakening). Title and overall rating may change. No more image changes 'cuz they're annoying :C. My first drabbles. Ninth chapter: Blush, Hector and Lyn (FE7), Rated K.
1. Bonds of Sisterhood

**Bonds of Sisterhood - FE Awakening - Sumia and Lissa - Friendship/Family - Rated K**

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**Bonds of Sisterhood**

"Hey, Sumia, what do you think about this one?"

The brunette turned around and stared at her friend (soon to be sister-in-law), blushing crimson when she saw what she'd picked out. One could hardly call it a dress; the sleeves were nonexistent, the chest area was so lowcut that Sumia could see the zipper at the back, and to top it off, the fabric stopped just below the knees, flowing behind the dress. It was a nightgown at best.

"Erm… Lissa, I don't quite think – "

"Relax, silly! I'm kidding!" the blonde said, giggling while turning around to face the flushed Sumia. "I know we've been friends for a while, and we've really been hitting it off, but I couldn't help testing you one more time!"

Sumia was confused. "Testing me?"

Lissa giggled again. "I have to know that you're absolutely _the one_ for my brother! I could never have a clean conscience if I didn't tell him his fiancée was a complete airhead."

The blonde resumed dress-gawking while Sumia simply stared. So there was somebody who truly didn't think she was an airhead? She supposed Chrom hadn't thought so, even though he'd never said it, but he also _didn't _say he didn't think so, so there was always the possibility that he thought she was pretty stupid, but then again if he thought she was so stupid, then why would he want to marry her right now?

"Argh, this is so confusing!" Sumia shrieked, placing her hands on her head. Lissa turned around to face her once more, herself confused now.

"Are you okay, Sumia? What's wrong?"

Sumia pulled her hands away and sighed. "No, it's nothing. I've just been thinking too much." She decided to push everything away. For the moment, all that mattered was that she was the one Chrom chose, right? She didn't have to be jealous of any other girl or worry about any other girl stealing her blue-haired love away from her. It was probably best not to think about it, in any case.

She glanced around the small dress shop, looking for anything that might catch her ey –

"I found it!" she gasped. In an instant she found herself running towards the beautiful piece of white cloth, surprised that she wasn't tripping over her own feet (those boots of hers again…).

Lissa quickly followed after, her own eyes landing on the dress. It definitely did seem like the best thing for Sumia; it would suit her quite well.

It was simple yet elegant, the sleeves coming just past the shoulder on the mannequin. Its veil was attached, a brilliant lace, and the upper chest was cut just low enough to show cleavage, but not enough to make it look trashy. At the bottom, where it reached the floor, was some more white lace just at the trim and around the back where it flowed for a foot or so.

"It's beautiful," Sumia said, reaching out to touch the soft fabric.

The blonde instantly agreed. "I think this dress is perfect for you, Sumia."

Sumia turned to face Lissa, beaming. "Do you really think so?"

Lissa grinned. "Of course! When my brother sees you in it, he's gonna go weak in the knees – you'll look stunning!" She reached her own hand out and felt the softness, admiring it.

A huge smile plastered itself onto the brunette's face. "Thank you, Lissa."

The blonde whipped her head around. "For what?"

Sumia giggled. "For everything."

Lissa smiled in return. "Anything for my sister-in-law."

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A/N: Hey, guys! Welcome to my first attempt at some drabbles :) I hope I'm doing it right, haha. As far as I know, drabbles are anything below 1k words, and are mainly about anything, so I don't think there IS a way to do it wrong, but...y'know, if there was a wrong way to do it, I'd probably find it heh.

Anyway, I've got some other chapters coming out pretty soon, probably, including a GaiusxMaribelle, EirikaxSeth, LynxKent, and others. It'll most likely focus more on FE13 (Awakening), but I'm open to requests! That is, if you guys like me enough to request one...meh. I'll stop ranting now. Thanks for reading! It means a lot. Oh, and if you're not too busy, leave a review, please!

[Edit: Thanks to Tsuna 4 Cn4s for pointing out a very minor mistake :P Fixed it!]

_~CGA_


	2. Intense Love

**Intense Love - FE Awakening - Gaius and Maribelle - Romance - Rated K+**

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**Intense Love**

"Gaius, it's raining!"

The ginger glances up at the sky for confirmation, and he receives it as a drop of acid water lands in his right eye. He grimaces and brings a hand up to comfort it and lessen the pain, and almost instantaneously more rain accompanies the morning dew they had found themselves in.

"Yeah, that much is certain," he replies lackadaisically, still babying his eye, the lollipop in his mouth slurring his speech. It must have hit him _just _right – he's never like this any other time something this minor happens.

Maribelle grabs his arm and begins running back towards camp, ignoring the mission they were assigned to gather firewood as punishment for wasting other supplies. She remembers Chrom's angry stare as he scolded them like a father with his two young children, but she pushes it away as she pulls not-so-gently on Gaius's arm.

"Come on!" she shouts.

Gaius feels the sharp tug on his arm and holds out his other to help keep himself steady, the candy falling from his mouth, resorting to just closing his right eye so as not to cause it any more pain. "What's gotten into you? It's just rain."

"It'll mess up my hair!" She shoots a look back at him as if to ask, "Are you daft?" and only then does she notice that he's closing one eye. "What – goodness, Gaius, you may be a high-ranking assassin, but you're awfully weak when you aren't on the battlefield, aren't you?"

He opens his eye and looks straight at her with it, proving to her and himself that he's fine, despite the redness which he can feel burning from the inside. Though they're running, she's still looking back at him and he finds that she's actually quite beautiful – of course, he knows this anyway, but even in the rain she's absolutely stunning.

He's really very lucky to have her, he realizes. She could easily have chosen any other man within the army to be with, but she chose him, and he can't be happier. She may not be the brightest of the Shepherds, nor the kindest or most helpful, and forget about the friendliest, but she is definitely the most beautiful, inside and out.

"Gaius! Are you listening to me?"

He stares at her. "Huh?"

She huffs and rolls her eyes. "I told you to take off your bag! It's slowing us down!"

_And chalk one down for meanest…_

She's obviously referring to the pack he's wearing on his back, and he quickly discards it without really knowing why, especially since it has a considerable amount of usable medicine and a few confects in it…

_Oh, well. The rain won't hurt it, _he rationalizes. He can come back for it in the morning. Besides, if it makes Maribelle happy, it's usually worth doing. Though, he is pretty upset at the loss of his candy stash.

Soon they find themselves back at the camp, and unsurprisingly, nobody's doing guard duty, probably both because it's early morning and it's pouring like crazy.

Nevertheless, they quickly run to the tent they share and push the flap to get inside. Gaius closes it up while Maribelle hastily discards her outer clothes so she won't catch cold – it's simply _the _worst thing for a noblewoman to get.

He hears her clothes hit the ground and blushes, having to will himself not to turn around for fear of her screams. They certainly don't need anybody to wake up and find them in a predicament.

He decides it's safe to assume that there will be no more missions until the rain lets up, because nobody in the army, not even Chrom himself, wants to be out in the mud and muck unless there's an ambush, and he allows himself a small sigh of relief.

But now, this just means he's going to be cooped up in here with his wife all day…

"Gaius?" she asks quietly, probably hushing herself so no one disturbs or eavesdrops.

"Hmm?" He doesn't turn around yet.

"Come here – you should take off that coat, or else you'll catch cold." She spins him around with almost no effort – he's like putty whenever she's this close – and begins unbuttoning his overcoat, ignoring his hushed protests. She doesn't even look up, so she can't see the heat spreading across his cheeks, and she can't marvel at his dramatic, sudden change of character as he realizes she's wearing little more than her smallclothes. A small slip that fits underneath her spring dress covers all the body parts which are left to imagination, but the pale white color allows the color of her underwear to protrude, a light blue complementing the blond hair that seems brown now that it's wet.

He gulps, suddenly remembering that she's in the process of undressing him. He silently wonders how she can't be embarrassed at this point. Sure, they have given themselves up to each other a few times now…but isn't it just a bit sudden to parade around in anything less than everyday wear?

"Darling, are you feeling all right? Are you feverish already?" She places her hand on his forehead and scowls. "You're burning up." She undoes the last button and yanks off his overcoat and begins to unzip his smaller jacket but he stops her by placing his hand on top of her arm.

"Wait, Maribelle."

He feels his cheeks heat up again as he sees her eyes stare up at his and he almost has to look away but tells himself not to. And now he can't find the words to speak and she's still staring up at him with that innocent look of hers, though she does look a bit mean –

"Gaius?"

She _does _look a bit upset. He wonders why this is. "Are you all right?"

She scoffs. "I was asking you the same thing! Whatever is the matter?"

He bites his cheek, already sore from an overdose of sugar, and turns away from her. "Nothing." He pouts like a child and she can't resist breaking out into a quiet laugh.

She calms herself once she sees his eyes turn back towards hers and begins speaking again. "Well, if nothing is bothering you, I suppose it's best if we get you out of your wet clothes, no?"

He gives up now, knowing that arguing is futile, and even if he does argue he would have to explain why he doesn't want to change – well, he _does _want to change but he would never tell her that; he would never give her the upper hand. But he sighs inwardly, accepting his fate. This is the woman he loves, after all. Agreeing to a thing or two she says every once in a while can't be too bad.

"…Yeah."

* * *

A/N: Yay fast releases! Oh yeah, and if I suck at puns, I tried to make a pun with 'intense' and 'in tents', y'know, because they're in their tent... Anyway, this was going to be its own oneshot with some cute dialog afterwards, but I decided to cut it short because I couldn't think of how to expand on it the way I wanted to. Maybe there'll be a continuation of this one later on.

A little over 1k words, but that's probably all right.

Thanks for reading! EirikaxSeth is up next, and then I'll probably start working on one of the requests I've received, depending on my mood.

_~CGA_


	3. Forbidden

**Forbidden - FE 8 (Sacred Stones) - Eirika and Seth - Romance/Drama - Rated T**

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**Forbidden**

It was a forbidden love and both of them knew it. He was her loyal knight (maybe _too _loyal at this point), and she was married to the young prince of Frelia. She would soon rule over the kingdom with her husband, remaining in close contact with her brother, the new king of Renais. While they weren't exactly royalty and subject anymore, they could never be allowed to meet for fear of the past and future, yet they had and they would probably continue doing so. It was hard to keep away from each other when they were all they thought about.

Eirika's long blue hair fell out of its updo when Seth brought his hand up to it, untying the small ribbon which was confining it. She exhaled at his loving touch as he kept his hand on the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to his own.

"Seth…" she whispered in between kisses. "We shouldn't be doing this." She ignored her racing heart and instead tried to focus on the best way to get out of this situation – surely there was still a way out, right?

The redhead looked deep into her eyes. "Lady Eirika, I ask of you this: am I not the one who knows you the best?" He leaned in closer to her ear, speaking lowly as if someone was watching them. "We both know of Prince Innes's affair. Are you not allowed to have one, too?"

Eirika's face began to heat up. Of course she knew about her husband's affair – almost half of the castle knew – but to do it right back to him…that seemed heartless to her. Their marriage was built strictly on what would be best for the kingdom, but that didn't mean she didn't at least somewhat love him, if only for his kindness. She'd known him since they were mere children, probably better than her own brother.

And of course she knew that Seth knew her best. He had also known Eirika since she was a little girl, back when he was beginning his knighthood training. As time passed and the two conversed more and more often, she began to understand that they could never be together, as it is unfit for a lady of royalty to marry a man of knighthood, no matter how noble.

But at that moment, they were alone in the darkness of her private chambers and she had never craved a man more. For now, she let her mind cleanse itself of all that could go wrong and instead allowed herself to relish the moment she was actually together with her love, her _true _love.

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A/N: Sorry. I feel like this one kinda sucks. Ah, well. There'll be more coming soon, lol. Maybe not daily releases anymore, though... I've eaten up a lot of my already-written fics now, plus I'm in the process of writing a multichap for Pokemon (I want to write all of it first before publishing) so that gets a lot of priority time. But don't worry! I'll figure out a way to dish these out =P

I want to thank my readers and reviewers a bunch again! You guys are the reason I write :) And again, sorry for the sorta crappy chapter. EirikaxSeth is actually one of my favorite pairings, but whenever I try and write them, my brain just kinda flops.

Oh, real quick, I actually wanna mention something I may have neglected to at the start. I've only played 7, 8, and Awakening. I've tried to play 1 before but it was a long time ago, so I'm not sure if I have it anymore. Anyway, if you guys could limit your requests to just those three, that'd be awesome :) Sorry for the limit, I'm sure they're all great games.

All right, you guys don't wanna read my rambling. Thanks for reading!

_~CGA_


	4. Afraid

**Afraid - FE Awakening - Lon'qu and Cordelia - Romance/Hurt/Comfort - Rated K+ (mentions of death)**

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He'd always been afraid of girls ever since that one accident which he always blamed himself for. He couldn't protect the girl he loved, and when it was all over, he didn't think he'd ever have the nerve to face her parents again.

He was a coward, a loser, a weakling, and could never do anything right. He'd spent so much time making himself miserable, punishing himself, that he forgot how to live.

That is, until a certain redheaded Pegasus knight showed him.

Almost in an instant, she swept him off of his feet (literally, since their first conversation was when she saved him from an onslaught of opposing barbarians) and brought up his spirits. They were both incredibly shy at first, not to mention wracked with guilt for what either had done. Cordelia had lost her family of Pegasus knight sisters, and Lon'qu the love of his younger life. They blamed themselves for what had happened, but neither had the courage to let it go.

Eventually they gave up trying to out-guilt the other, and as they began falling in love with each other, said guilt slowly faded away. The young redhead forgot about her unrequited love for her prince, along with her deceased friends, and Lon'qu learned to accept the fact that his friend was gone, but his memories would always be with him.

Cordelia was the best thing that happened to him, and he wanted to show her that. He wanted to repay at least a little of the debt he felt he was a part of now that she was in his life. He just wanted to make sure that she was there for good.

So as he kept rambling on and on about nothing in particular to her, he couldn't help himself from nervously twiddling the box which held the ring in between his fingers behind his back. He didn't look up once when she kept calling his name for fear of losing sight of what was going through his mind – if he looked at her he'd surely get lost in her brown eyes for who knows how long.

"Lon'qu, is something wrong?" she inquired, probably for the fifth time. He wasn't exactly counting.

His head turned the other way unconsciously and he grimaced, his cheeks heating up. "Just listen for a second."

Cordelia stepped back a little bit. Of course he had been blunt with her many times before, but at the moment it scared her, if only because she was starting to get used to his kindness since they'd started dating. Nevertheless, she attempted to steel herself, hearing out what he had to say.

He coughed, trying to hide his face. Then he turned back towards her and began speaking, looking everywhere but her eyes.

"Cordelia, I… I love you." He paused for a brief moment and then continued because he was afraid that if he stopped he'd never get the courage to start again. "I've never felt this way about a girl before – never been close enough to get to know someone like this. But…I think this is how you do this."

He got down on his knee and brought the box around in front of him. Opening it up, he asked, "Will you be with me?"

Lon'qu finally managed to stare her in the eyes, and it was now that he could see she was smiling, not only through her mouth but through those brown orbs as well. Did that mean he was doing it right? It felt like he was progressing rather smoothly, though he obviously could have done better in certain areas –

"Yes, Lon'qu!" Cordelia cried, swinging her arms around his neck once she was down to his level. "I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I honestly can't see myself with anybody else. I've completely forgotten about everybody else I ever thought I loved." She moved closer to him. "I would love to be with you."

He smiled as wide as he could and returned her embrace tenfold, not daring to let her go.

He wasn't afraid anymore, but Lon'qu just hoped that this time he would be able to protect what was important to him.

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A/N: You guys are spoiled...daily releases. Meh. At least they're easy to write when they're under 1k words. I like this whole drabble stuff. Anyway, here's Lon'qu and Cordy! Requested by...well, someone down there lol. Forgive me, I'm too lazy to check for your name D:

Hope you guys enjoy! These two are slightly OOC in my opinion, but I think I got the gist down.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys!

_~CGA_


	5. Waiting

**Waiting - FE8 - Joshua and Natasha - Romance/Family - Rated K+**

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**Waiting**

"_I bet that you're gonna fall for me, sooner or later."_

"_Will I make you happy?"_

_Yes, Joshua, you will make me very happy. You _have _made me very happy. I only wish our time together was longer._

Natasha tried to silence her thoughts, but like every other time, they wouldn't have any of it. He should have been back by now. He _had _to have come back by now. He'd been gone for several days already; how much longer was he going to make her wait?

It was already dusk and she knew it was bad for her health if she stayed up for much longer, considering how long she'd already been awake. Her blond hair fell into her face as she leaned her head down, praying once more for her husband's safety. She rested a hand on her belly, smiling as she calmed down, reminding herself that there was no way he'd be killed. He wouldn't do that to his family. Joshua wasn't that kind of person.

She retreated to the back room of the small cabin, telling herself over and over again not to worry. He would definitely come back soon, his dark red eyes shining as he brought home a load of goods for them to share.

As she lay down on the double bed, she recollected her thoughts, mainly because it calmed her to do so. Just remembering all the kind words he'd said to her made her feel at ease, if only a little.

It wasn't as if she approved, necessarily, of the lifestyle they were forced to live – it was more like she just accepted it, because there wasn't much else they could do. It was all her fault, really, despite Joshua's constant reassurance that it wasn't. She was supposed to have been killed by him after their first encounter, but obviously that had never happened. He hadn't gone through with it, and now there was a bounty on his head. She didn't know all the details, but she knew that her husband was dealing with a lot of stress just for her sake.

And now that she was pregnant, they couldn't just leave whenever they wanted to. Something could happen as they were traveling through the woods: she might have fallen ill, or maybe they wouldn't have been keeping track of time and she'd be delivering a child on a fallen log. The odds of either happening were very slim, but they had to consider all possibilities. Of course, where they lived now hardly seemed like the next best choice, but they had to make do because of their location.

The two had fled from the makeshift army after the war between Renais and Grado was over. Joshua could have easily taken the throne as his own, but he didn't feel like having such a huge responsibility as his wife was already with child. He didn't trust the people inside the castle with his family just yet. Perhaps when this was all over, he would return and claim it then.

Natasha sighed as she stared up at the wood ceiling. She truly wished she and the redhead had more to their names than this measly cabin – shack, more like – but she couldn't be picky if this was the man she married. She knew the dangers of getting involved with him and yet she chose him anyway. Besides, as she was currently six months along, she couldn't move as fast as she used to. They had already waited too long, so she'd just have to wait some more.

At least she had Joshua's pleasant memories to accompany her while she was alone.

"_Natasha, I know you don't approve of the way we gotta live at all, but I don't have a choice right now," he explained, taking her hands into his. She met his gaze with a sad but understanding expression. This was the way it had to be. She knew that._

_She nodded. "Just promise me you'll come back…"_

_Joshua took her hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing it softly. "I will definitely come back. I'll bring everything we need here. So wait for me, okay?" _

_He stared at her face and then into her eyes, leaning in to share a passionate kiss with her. Their lips connected softly, and he inched herself closer to her, longing to be with her even if for just a few seconds more. She was the love of his life, and he would never leave her all alone, especially now that she had a child. His child. _

_Before she knew it he was out the door and walking away from their pathetic attempt at a house. _

Natasha spun the ring on her finger a few times, allowing herself some more sadness. She was positive he would come back. He had left before like this a few times, off on the same errand to retrieve some gold from an unknown source. He came back all those other times, so there was no reason for him to go back on his word now.

She felt herself grow more and more sleepy but fought against her weighty eyelids, forcing herself to stay awake lest he come back when she least expected it. After a while, though, she knew she couldn't put off sleep anymore, not only for her sake, but for her growing child's as well. She sighed.

_I'll keep on waiting for you, Joshua. I know this child inside of me wants to meet its father as well. Just please…please come back to me._

She closed her eyes and, after a few minutes, was about to fall to sleep, but a knock at the door woke her up.

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A/N: Short note this time, finally! Bet you guys are absolutely thriiiilled. Here's JoshuaxNatasha, requested by Mattariago. Hope you like it! (On another note, I'll be gone all weekend so you guys will probably have to deal with no updates.)

Anyway, I just have a question to ask basrutten (sorry I forgot your name, btw =P). By Robin and Say'ri, do you mean Robin F or M? Well, I guess I could do both haha, but which one did you mean?

As always, thanks, everyone for the feedback!

_~CGA_


	6. Are We Done Throwing Things?

**Are We Done Throwing Things? - FE Awakening - F!Robin and Chrom - Romance/Comedy/Hurt/Comfort - Rated T**

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**Are We Done Throwing Things?**

"Robin, please calm down!"

Another platter went flying as Chrom cowered in fear behind a random piece of furniture, a small armchair. He stuck his arms over his head to protect himself from the madwoman.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, staring down at the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't buy you anything, okay? Is that what you're so angry about?!"

The blue-haired prince heard another dish break against the wall, followed by some heavy breathing. A few moments went by and he realized there wasn't any more noise besides the breathing, so he wagered it was safe for at least a while and took his arms away from his head, standing up slowly.

He glanced over at his wife, who was indeed the one breathing heavily. His hand gripped onto her arm as he stared into her eyes, a tireless expression in his own.

"Are we done throwing things?" he asked.

She wouldn't meet his eye but nodded. Chrom took a moment to compose himself and exhaled.

"Now," he began again, "will you _please _tell me what's gotten into you?"

Robin sighed and hung her head, her purple hair meeting Chrom's other hand at her shoulder as it wasn't in its usual ponytail today. "I dunmuno."

Chrom cocked his head. "What was that? You have to speak louder."

"I donmo," she tried again, not raising her head yet.

He sighed. "More clearly, too, please."

"I don't know!" she cried, whipping her head around so Chrom couldn't see her. His hands fell from her body and she started sobbing, unintelligible words escaping her mouth as blubbers.

"I…don't understand it either…Chrom," she whimpered. "I…I'm just…mad."

The fearless leader smacked his forehead. If _she _didn't know, how was _he _supposed to help her with it? He shook his head. Pregnant women were confusing.

"Look, Robin – "

"Don't touch me," she told him, her voice seething with ice.

"What? No, stop that," Chrom replied, turning her form around so he could embrace her. She was still crying but he tried his best to calm her down. "Don't tell me not to touch you; you're my wife and I love touching you. I love you."

Robin just cried louder at this. "Even if…I'm like this?"

He chuckled softly. "Even if you're like this." He gripped her tighter, whispering into her ear, "Besides, as soon as our child is born, you'll be back to normal. I know it."

She sniffed. "How do you know that?"

"I just know it."

"Promise?"

Chrom smiled. "I promise."

She hugged him back now, her arms around his torso as she was still a bit shorter than him. She breathed in his scent and was instantly calmed down, remembering just who he was and why she loved him so much. He was the father of her child, the love of her life, and her best friend. He understood her so well, even better than she understood herself at times.

"As for earlier…well, I went out to buy some supplies and thought about getting something for you. But I only had enough gold to buy the supplies…since you manage the budget."

"Wait, what?" she asked, slowly pushing him away. He looked back at her with a confused expression, as if he hadn't said anything wrong. "So it's _my _fault you didn't have enough gold to buy me anything?"

Chrom found himself gulping, not really knowing why she was so angry or what he did wrong. "Well, no but – erm, you _do _manage our budget, so I'd have to ask you for the gold – and I did! But only for the supplies, since I didn't think of buying you anything until I arrived at the shop, and…" He stopped once he realized how futile arguing was, since the way his wife looked right now…well, he could tell that she was mad again.

In an instant he was ducking again as a fine china plate whizzed past his ear, threatening to cut the area where a soap dish damaged during one of their earlier conversations when she caught him in the bath. He found the armchair again and took cover, hands over his head, almost in the fetal position.

"I thought we were done throwing things!"

* * *

A/N: Fooo, here it is, Angel of Darkness and Light! Robin F and Chrom's oneshot :) They'll surely have more, as they're my most favorite pairing in the game.

In other news, I'm back from downstate, so I'll probably be releasing daily updates again. Yay for you guys! Next one...well, I'll have to see what the requests are again. Might just write one I want to write, lol. Doesn't anybody here like Henry? D: I love Henry~

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback, everyone! Stay tuned for more :)

_~CGA_


	7. Better

**Better - FE8 Sacred Stones - Forde and Eirika - Romance - Rated K+**

* * *

**Better**

Painting a beautiful face on a canvas is every artist's dream. Knowing that his creation brings a smile onto onlookers' faces is every artist's happiness. Waiting days and days for inspiration and supplies is every artist's dilemma.

But watching as the love of his life poses for him to paint is every artist's wish. That is what he lives for.

Forde painted for his late mother, who passed while holding his portrait of her. It was arguably a work-in-progress, if only because he was still so young when he painted it, but for some reason, whenever he looked at it, he remembered everything about his mother that he loved so much. There was so little detail in the drawing itself, but his mind embedded every last crevice of her face into the canvas. Nobody else, not even his father or brother, would be able to see the beauty in that one portrait, and Forde persuaded himself so many times to redo it, but there was one thing stopping him.

It was the essence of beauty itself, a young princess named Eirika. Her blue eyes shined in the bright light of the common room, reflecting the smile that adorned her lips, causing Forde to smile as well. Eirika's long, silky hair threatened to sway in the breeze coming through the open window and the blonde insisted on closing it but she stopped him.

"You're almost done, right?" she asked, making sure not to move any part of her face. Her smile returned instantly after she spoke her words, as if she was afraid she would screw up the results.

Forde simply stared for a few moments, forgetting about the breeze which was now dissipated, halfway standing and sitting to close the window. After her words, however, he sat back down and nodded.

"Yes. Just a few more minutes, if you don't mind."

She made no movements but he wasn't concerned she didn't hear him. He picked the brush back up and resumed his work, making careful, fine lines for her hair now. It seemed the wind hadn't messed it up too much – nothing he couldn't fix with a few more careful strokes, anyway.

Forde used to paint for his mother, the few paintings he had created bringing happiness to her face in the form of smiles. Her radiance emanated from her and inspired him to do more; however, when she passed, he lost all of it.

All of his inspiration disappeared with his mother, and all he had left were his skills with the blade. There was nobody to praise his works. Why would he create something nobody would ever see? The life of an artist, especially an aspiring one, is meaningless without someone to share it with, to share the happiness, sadness, anger, apathy…

But all that changed when Eirika came along. She was the hope which he held onto ever-so-tightly. He would never let her go.

His mother's portrait had aged rather well, and it probably looked better in his mind because of what it added, but he had still despised it for so long. Eirika encouraged him to keep it, if only as a memoir of his mother, and her kind words inspired him to start painting again, to start living again.

So he was definitely going to make Eirika's portrait better.

* * *

A/N: Eh, sorry for not updating! It's not like I forgot...just, other stuff came up, heh. Anyway, here's thinkaman22's request! It probably isn't that good cuz I whipped it up in about 20-30 minutes, but it's good enough, I think ^^

I imagine Forde as one of those 'cool' guys, not really showing his feelings that often, but when he's doing something he absolutely loves - painting - he can express himself in so many more ways than with words. That's how I see him and Eirika, like a mutual relationship built on understanding. They don't need to be all lovey-dovey to remind each other that they're in love :)

I'm done blabbing! Thanks for all the feedback, everyone :) I'll keep blowing through the requests like this, hopefully!

_~CGA_


	8. War

**War - FE Sacred Stones - Eirika and Lyon - Friendship - Rated T**

* * *

**War**

They were just two kids trying too hard to grow up, learning the art of the sword as they waited for a certain blue-haired boy to come out and join them. Ephraim always had a bad sense of time.

Eirika nimbly dodged another strike of Lyon's blade, heavily panting in the process. Truthfully, she had only practiced once or twice with her brother before so she wasn't as experienced as the boy in front of her, but she wasn't about to let inexperience stop her from winning. After all, Ephraim had taught her a nifty little trick.

"Hah!" she cried as she thrust her own sword forward, feigning disappointment as her friend quickly dodged it. While he was regaining his footing, Eirika took the opportunity to swing her sword once more, bringing it up to the boy's neck with ease. Her eyes shined with rage, though she didn't quite notice it herself.

Lyon's back was against the wall of a nearby building now and he quickly gulped, attempting to hide his fear. "Do it, Eirika."

Her eyes widened as she realized what she was doing. She lowered her sword, her mouth open slightly. The sword fell to the ground, creating a harsh clanging noise that rang through their ears.

She was fourteen, still a kid, just an adolescent. She wasn't ready to kill somebody, claim their life as her own, especially when that person was her close friend. Was she really just about to do that?

Eirika felt a few stray tears escape from her eyes and brought her head down, watching as they hit the cemented ground. Unknown to her, Lyon smirked and made his own move now.

In an instant the girl was trapped behind the blade of his sword with her back against the same wall. Her eyes widened in fright as she stared at his face, unable to comprehend just what was happening.

"You thought I'd left an opening for you, right?" When she didn't say anything, he simply continued. "In a real fight, in _war, _you can't ever let your feelings get the better of you. Friend or foe, be well-prepared to take his life."

He let the blade brush up against her neck quickly, and she gasped but made sure to keep still, her eyes red and puffy. Of course, he would never intentionally hurt her – he was only trying to prove a point. If she was to become a better swordsman she would have to learn the way not only of the blade, but of the warrior as well. Trained and experienced warriors do not hesitate to take another's life if his own stands on the line.

From behind them the sound of another blade clattering to the ground could be heard. Eirika looked forward and Lyon turned his head around, and what their eyes met with was a very angry-looking young prince.

"Lyon! What are you doing to my sister?!"

The gray-haired boy brought his sword away from Eirika's neck and made a tsking noise. "She needed to be taught a lesson that apparently you haven't taught her yet."

Eirika quickly ran to her brother's side, clinging to his back as she peered around his side to glare at Lyon. Ephraim wrapped his arm around her, making sure that she knew he would protect her.

"She has only had a handful of lessons."

Lyon smiled genuinely. "Now she will be better at the lessons you do give her."

He walked away with one last glance at Eirika, who quickly averted her eyes, and left the two alone. Eirika cried into her brother's shirt as he tried to comfort her, cursing his friend.

…

There he was.

She stood by Ephraim's side, much like those three years prior, only this time she didn't need his arm around her as she clung to him like a lost child. She didn't need that to know that he would protect her. She would protect him too.

They were here. They were finally here, about to face off with their sworn enemy of the past year, Lyon. They were finally about to save Renais and the entirety of Magvel from the threat of him and the Demon King.

On one hand, she couldn't have been any happier. The only thing that could've made it better was if the fight was already over and they had won.

But on the other hand, she felt…empty. Guilty and hollow inside, as if she wasn't allowed to feel that happiness. She tried to let it slide, but it wouldn't go away.

Lyon was her friend. They had met when they were just children, and she had known he was always special, but she would never guess this special.

He taught her an important lesson: in war, you cannot hesitate to take somebody's life, be him friend or foe. In a way, he was there when she had caused her first casualty to the opposing side. He was there with her, egging her on as she pierced through the flesh and pulled out, watching the then-lifeless body fall to the ground and bleed out.

Lyon would most likely always be with her, no matter where she went. As a friend, he had made her grow and change in ways she never thought possible. He gave her some of the best lessons she could use, though his methods were a bit strange.

As a friend, he had made her into a better person.

But as a foe, he wouldn't make her hesitate to defeat him.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. Been kinda busy. Anyway, here's another request from Angel of Darkness and Light. Honestly, if Lyon had more screen time as a non-villain, I'd have had no problem making this longer. But he's got such limited dialogue and just...overall personality, hah. Or maybe it's just been too long since I've played the game :x

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, guys! I'll try my hardest to keep the requests going :)

_~CGA_


	9. Blush

**Blush - FE 7 Blazing Sword - Hector and Lyn - Romance/Humor - Rated K**

* * *

**Blush**

Hector was walking alongside the edge of the camp, attempting to clear his head of the thoughts of death and sadness from the previous battle. Before now, he'd never really killed anybody before…it was rather dreadful and heavy to carry that.

He saw a familiar sixteen-year-old turquoise-haired girl and instantly smiled. A good argument with Lyn would always cheer him up, no matter the circumstances.

The man didn't know why, but ever since they met, it seemed like they'd just been butting heads nonstop, be it with tactics or weapons or whatever else. It was almost as if they just weren't meant to be friends or something.

As Hector began walking over to the girl, she turned to look at him. She gave him a half-smile, unsure of whether to grimace at her enemy or smile at her comrade.

"Evening, Lyn," he said coolly, glancing up at the night sky. There were barely any stars but the few that were there offered something interesting to watch.

Lyn nodded, though he couldn't see. "Good evening, Hector." She waited for a reply but when it didn't come she continued. "Eliwood's already retired to bed."

A few minutes passed with them just like that, except Lyn tilted her head up to look at the same sky Hector saw, and after a while Hector cleared his throat to hide his soft laughter.

It didn't work. "What do you find funny at a time like this?" the Caelin princess demanded. She instantly looked over at him, staring as he coughed into his hand in an attempt to mask his laughs.

Hector shook his head. "It's nothing." He paused for a moment, then sighed and decided he'd better tell her, lest she become upset and stomp off, angering some other poor sap. "Well, I mean…don't you think it's about time you give up on chasing after Eliwood already?"

Lyn gulped. "Whatever do you mean?" She turned her gaze away from him, trying to hide her face.

He chuckled. "You've got no chance with him. Eliwood likes me better."

At this, Lyn could almost feel smoke come out of her ears. Hector wasn't the type of guy – and neither was Eliwood – to be with another man, so Hector was just insulting her! Saying he'd be better off with a man than her… "I am quite sure he's more fond of me." _Judging purely on how many times he's had to save you from your mouth, anyway, _she thought to herself. She crossed her arms.

"Oh, is he? What makes you say that, just _your _fondness of _him?"_ Hector asked triumphantly.

Lyn uncrossed her arms and glanced all around to make sure nobody was listening. When she turned back towards the blue-haired man, she was blushing like mad. She attempted to calm herself before speaking, though.

"N-no… Eliwood and I go back – "

"Go back? What, one measly year?" He scoffed. "Try ten or more years; that's how far Eliwood and _I _go back." He was the one to cross his arms now, and when he looked at her he wanted to run away.

He wished he could just slap the blush off of her. Though, not only would his pride never allow him to do so – he also suspected she was Eliwood's girl, no matter what he said. He saw the looks those two exchanged, subtle little hints to the love affair between Caelin and Pherae.

He didn't know why, but he felt…jealous. He wanted to make her blush like that too.

Lyn brought her hands up to the sides of her head. "Argh! You are _infuriating!" _She began to walk away but Hector grabbed her by the arm, not really knowing why.

_Just once._

_It's now or never._

His mind didn't let up, and in a few seconds' time, Hector had dragged her towards him and into a sloppy kiss. His hands went back around behind her head, pulling her closer, and she didn't seem to mind either, wrapping her arms around his neck, changing the liplock from sloppy to sweet.

Neither one said or did anything else until they both heard a familiar voice ring into their ears.

"Can't you two call it a night? The others keep waking me up to tell me you two are fighting aga – "

Eliwood rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he spoke and when he opened them, he made an incomprehensible sound of exclamation. If he was half-asleep before, he was definitely awake now.

The two pulled away at the sound of his voice, Lyn blushing profusely and Hector just staring at his friend. He tried to explain it to Eliwood but the redhead felt slumber calling for him again and just put his hands up defensively.

"Hey, as long as you're not fighting." It was very strange for Eliwood to be lax, but when one is half-asleep in the middle of the night, he tends not to care whether or not he sounds like royalty.

Hector ignored him for the moment and turned back towards Lyn, who stared back at him, blush still on her face. She started stammering like crazy, and although he couldn't understand a word she was saying, he smiled both inwardly and outwardly.

So he could make her blush like that too.

* * *

A/N: Another one written for Angel of Darkness and Light! Hope you like :) This was actually my first story ever written for a pairing I don't support, but after writing it, I guess I could see something like this happening, especially with a drunken-like half-asleep Eliwood~ I think he'd be so cute like that -fangirls-

Ahem...anyway. Sorry for putting the other requests on 'hold', if you will. It's not that I've forgotten about them, I'm just going to get to them in a different timely manner :P Speaking of timely manner...this was another chapter written in about 20 minutes. I'm getting better, very slowly! Phew.

All right, so, these are the requests I currently have (that I'm willing to do, anyway, since these 3 games are sadly the only ones I've played of FE):

Robin(M)xSay'ri, FranzxAmelia, InnesxVanessa, EliwoodxNinian (one of my least favorite pairings, let me just say...lol), NowixDonnel, HenryxRicken, HenryxChrom (I think this would be hilarious), and EirikaxSaleh.

To make it easier on everybody, maybe not limited to you guys, I'll start doing these in order :P It'll motivate me to get to the chapters I really want to write, but at the same time I won't be rushing through the other chapters just to get them done. Expect daily releases again!

Thanks for sticking with me :)

_~CGA_


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